The chaos would be catastrophic.
We disentangled Ryleigh, and Erick slid her into my embrace with a relieved sigh. With one final apologetic glance, the burly blond scurried back to his post at the door. The moment my palm touched her bare arm, the world reduced to the two of us in startling clarity.
Her warmth spread into me and filled me with peace. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. I held her to the side, shifting her off my inappropriate reaction to her softness. Everything about this woman set me on edge, from her adorable little frown to the raspberry scent of her shampoo.
I wanted to discover all I could about her.
My temper eased, but the relief was short lived. She labored to breathe, panting with staccato breaths as she fought the magic keeping her unconscious. By the irregular patterns in her aura, she needed medical attention.
The security channel buzzed. "They headed southwest on Highway 495 less than five minutes ago. Why the hell can’t we see them?”
“Their base has to be close, or they have someone strong enough to mask multiple people. Get everyone back here for a briefing.” After relaying the orders, I closed the mic.
He glanced at me, his brown eyes darkened with worry. “I don't know why they’re kidnapping humans, but now I've studied two of them and I have a theory."
For a few seconds, he sat there and examined her with concern. Neither of us could help her. The reminder of my failed healing attempt permanently marked his cheek. I wouldn’t dare try to tinker with biophysical manipulation.
"Let’s get her to the compound.” I waited, but he didn’t respond. “Darian?”
I hadn’t seen him this tormented since his sire hunted us down. He’d spent over a hundred years in captivity, tortured by his own kin. In spite of his history, he still possessed his sanity and the sense of honor which led him to deny his warped heritage. When we first met, he’d eluded recapture for six decades.
He almost died helping me terminate his father, and he’d not been the same since.
Ryleigh moaned when I scooped her into my arms. We received curious glances as we made our way through the club into the private hallway. Ian met us at the entrance to our hidden tunnel, one of several escape routes from the hotel. I swore I felt the weight of the earth above us.
He may have rescued me, but since my capture at his father’s hands, I detested tight spaces.
Darian went ahead, lighting the space with a small flashlight. Ian followed, always on guard. My mate’s uneven breaths punctuated the silence. She mumbled and thrashed as I held onto her.
After an eternity, we reached the end of the path. Though we’d walked a short distance, the magic Ian imbued into the passage allowed us to traverse miles in minutes. He’d intertwined safe houses, businesses, and compounds like the hotel across the upper half of the United States. Without Ian, many of the paths wouldn’t connect, and no one could ever find our base. A few remained open for those who knew how to access them.
I tried not to think about the tunnels too much.
The way Ian described it they didn’t exist on Earth’s dimensional plane, but within the void between dimensions. At least there wasn’t a chance of a cave in, since we weren’t actually under several thousand feet of soil. Well, we were, and we weren’t.
It all depended on how Ian designed the tunnel, and he could change it in an instant.
Ian squeezed past us and darted through the door. His first priority was keeping our leader protected, though he’d die for any of us. You couldn’t hire his level of loyalty. When I left the corridor I pulled in a deep breath. The area here was spacious and comforting.
Everyone gathered in the living room. I nodded in their general direction but continued toward my suite without stopping. My grandmother stood with regal grace and joined me.
They could wait; my mate came first.
Chapter Three
Darian
Thane waited until I arrived before he started the meeting. “Jason, were you close enough to examine them?”
The kid was nineteen, but he tried to come off as an older bad boy, complete with sleeve tattoos on both arms. Unfortunately, we all knew he’d passed out each time he’d gone under the needle. He was sweet though, and everyone loved him.
Hell, our leader adopted the boy, and he didn’t like anybody.
Jason saw through potent Illusions and discovered details obscured by magic. He recognized bloodlines and abilities by the nuances in an individual’s aura. When he looked up from the laptop on the coffee table, he grinned.
“I identified both men at the club and caught a glimpse of their driver. You won’t believe who had the balls to waltz in there tonight.” He turned thoughtful. “Although, it is possible he didn’t realize he’d wandered into one of our businesses. How could he not know, with our people all over the place?”
“Jay.” Thane grumbled.
“Right.”
He gestured at the screen, which displayed a picture of Cedric Milar, director of the Elitist movement. When our ancestors came through the wormhole to Earth from Intara, the Elitists decided we were superior. They ruled over the powerless natives as deities; the same beings feared and revered in mythology.
Not all Intarans believed the human race inferior, and some found mates among them. The Kindred allied with humanity and overthrew the false gods. The Elitists killed any Intaran- human hybrid, and their allies, on sight.
They considered it revolting to mix with a species they saw as animals.
Cedric had been my father’s closest friend, and my personal nightmare. My fists clenched as I leaned in to better see the second photo. This image was grainier than the first, and taken by a long ranged surveillance camera in black and white.
The resemblance to the Elder was uncanny. Shadows concealed a young man driving a vehicle into the main enemy compound in Europe. The tyrant had no living kin, so the boy had to be his.
“Milar has a son?” I asked.
Thane appeared shocked as well. He bent forward to get a closer look, and Jay turned the laptop toward the others. I ignored their whispers as I fought the memories threatening to overwhelm me.
For years I’d trailed my father, listening to his men discuss bloodlines. They destroyed anyone who dared think different than them. I’d watched as lovers were torn apart, literally in some cases, for daring to follow their hearts. Mothers held their children as they died, before suffering torture and death themselves.
I’d hidden my true feelings for decades until my final, unforgivable betrayal.
The room fell silent after a few minutes. I shook away the thoughts and waved off their concerned looks. The last thing I wanted or needed was their pity.
“How did such a prominent member of the Elitists keep his heir secret for so long?” I mused aloud. “They celebrate progeny as publicly as we do.”
Even among the more fertile hybrids, offspring were rare enough to warrant celebration. Earthbound Intaran experienced a rapid decline in fertility compared to the births recorded in our ancestral records. It was one of our primary reasons for wanting to reopen the portal between Earth and Intara.
Why would he conceal his son from the world? Especially since the man had gone through six wives in five hundred years trying to conceive. If anyone should’ve rejoiced, it would’ve been him.
He nodded. “I’ll have my people look into it. Our agent didn’t know about him, either. If he were younger, I wouldn’t be alarmed, but he was right under our noses.”
“What was the purpose of masking his existence? So he could hide in plain sight?” Jay asked.
I shook my head. “It doesn’t make sense. Cedric is boastful and the political advantage of having an heir would far outweigh any potential benefit to hiding the boy. He resembles his father too much to pass as a spy.”
“Have we identified the other men?” Thane demanded.
“The kidnap victim is Tobias Sheridan.” Jason answered as he pulled up two more pictures.
“He’s done some jobs for us in the past, and he’s clean. The guy with Cedric’s son is Kevin Bargas, and I’m sure his twin Frank was the driver. They were concealed by magic, but bloodlines don’t lie. Not to me.”
“Shit.” Thane paced.
The Bargas brothers were the exception to the rules of procreation. Intaran couples were lucky to have one or two children. The Bargas’ had a set of triplets followed decades later by twins.
All boys, and all five of them possessed their father’s moral compass, or lack thereof. The twins were capable of Illusion and effective assassins due to their ability to manipulate their target’s nervous systems. They could slip by undetected without an effort.
“Wait.” Thane’s girlfriend Aubrey sat in his chair and chewed on her strawberry-blond hair. I hadn’t noticed her at first, but she was always at his side. She was as intelligent as she was quiet. “Where’s Arabella? She was there earlier. Maybe she saw them?”
He didn’t look up from his computer. “She’s at the club working the closing shift as scheduled.”
Jay tapped a few more keys and the security cameras at Tainted Eden appeared. “I already asked her if she spotted Tobias. He likes to flirt with her, so she knows him.” He shook his head. “Toby is one of my closest friends. We have to find him.”
“We will.” Thane promised.
The screen flicked from the bar to the dance floor. “He left the main room with Cedric’s son, but they never show up on the camera in the private hallway. I’m running a diagnostic now, but I doubt I’ll come up with anything. It’s all too clean. I suspect Illusion hid their actual movements rather than tampering.”
He continued to mumble to himself in technical jargon as he searched the files, bemoaning the incompatibility between magic and technology.
“You have a theory about these kidnappings?” Thane addressed me.
I nodded. “There are seven incidents with confirmed Elitist involvement. Three of the humans abducted possess high capacity. The rest are unknown, but both Tobias and Ryleigh register higher than most.”
“Why did you bring that woman back here?” Aubrey glared at me. “Because you think they want her as a human battery? We could’ve watched her topside. What if you’ve led them to us?”
Of the others, her history was similar to mine. I knew she feared drawing the Elitist’s attention. She’d suffered at their hands almost as much as I had. Though I understood her panic, I refused to be ruled by it.
He soothed her, but waved at me to continue. “Ryleigh has greater quantity than Tobias, although he’s close.”
I cut her off before she protested. “Believe me, they’d rather not deal with mankind at all, much less capture and imprison them somewhere. None of these individuals have monetary or political value, and only three had any involvement with Intarans prior to their abduction. Nothing else makes sense.”
Thane’s brows furrowed in thought. “And you’re positive they’ll try for the woman again?”
“Without a doubt.” I sighed, wishing it wasn’t true. “Cedric’s son appeared focused. As he left, his intentions were written in his aura. He’ll return for her.”
“I want her topside the moment she’s conscious.” Thane commanded. “We don’t know what her role is in all this. They could have planted her as a spy. Until we discover more, we’ll watch her. Even if she’s innocent she might lead us to those responsible. If she isn’t aware of us, keep it that way. Wipe her recent memories before she wakes.”
My fists clenched, but I couldn’t disagree with him. It would be a genius ploy to get someone near our leaders. If it were anyone but her, I’d agree.
I opened my mouth to protest, but he silenced me with a stern glare. I’d wait until later to voice my concerns, but he looked determined. The man was bullheaded, but he was a terrific leader for the Kindred, and I respected his decisions.
“For what purpose do they need these individuals?” He asked.
“I have a theory.” Jason answered. “Back in the Nazi era, Elitist scientists experimented on people with high capacity hoping to power the old Intaran weapons. Nothing came of it, and they scrapped the project when the weapon proved unstable.”
We all turned back to the screen as he pulled up some documents. “There is evidence to suggest it could work with a better preserved artifact. Humans can’t manipulate magic, but they store more of it than any other living thing. When they linked with us, our own abilities increased.”
“So you think this is another attempt to resurrect the ancient machines?” Thane paced as he thought.
The boy shook his head. “I doubt it. The Elitists have five of the nine Portal Stones now. If there’s any truth to the rumors, their elders are pushing hard to figure out their operation. They want to be prepared when the alignment between realms opens the wormhole. I’d bet they’re using them to power the Stones.”
“They have five Stones?” I cursed. “Last I heard they possessed one. Hell, it’s been centuries since we found our second. How did the Elitists locate so many?”
Jason looked surprised I hadn’t known. Even now, I wasn’t trusted. I’d never convince them of my loyalty to the Kindred.
“Few are aware of the situation.” Thane sighed.
The youth continued, oblivious to his mentor’s glare. “Cedric’s people developed some sort of satellite program utilizing magnetic imaging and geothermic resonance disturbances. I don’t have the specifics, but it’s brilliant. In two years, they’ve uncovered hundreds of missing artifacts, including the Stones.”
“Great.” I muttered. “So we have less than thirty-six months to either discover how to power the damned Stones, or seize them before they gain control of the way home.”
Chapter Four
Darian
After spending two hours hashing through possibilities and scenarios with Thane’s council, I was ready to fall asleep. So why was I standing outside Lukas’ suite, instead? As I turned away, his grandmother opened the door wide enough for me to enter and gestured me inside. I stood in the entryway, reluctant to intrude where I wasn’t welcome.
Lukas slept in an overstuffed chair near the king- sized poster bed. I didn’t see Ryleigh from this angle, but her breathing had improved. Mimi waited for me to turn back to her before she whispered. “How did the meeting go?”
“Same old drama, new issues. I wanted to check on Ryleigh. How is she?”
She glared at me and I couldn’t hold her gaze longer than a minute. Few understood me as well as Lukas, but she was something else altogether. She knew things about me I didn’t even know myself. She was also the only one I could trust to keep certain secrets to herself.
The look she gave me spoke volumes about how much she saw into my visit.
Knowing her insight wasn’t far wrong made me uncomfortable. As a full-blooded Intaran with strong roots all the way back to Intara, she was the most powerful Seer on this side of the Portal. Getting her to reveal anything about her Visions was the real challenge.
“She’s fine now. Her aura was erratic. Her attacker must have expected to control her manually, because he left her unbalanced. Or maybe he didn’t care if she died. It took us all night to stabilize her. She’ll have a headache for a bit, but nothing permanent.”
I nodded. “Good. That’s good, then. I don’t want to disturb them. See you in the morning.”
Before I turned to leave, she placed her hand on my arm. She’d been a child when the Italian Inquisition took her parents from her in the twelve hundreds. Yet, she still appeared to be a thirty year old housewife. A hippy housewife maybe, with her flowing skirts, waist length hair and bare feet, but a happy one nonetheless.
Except right now she looked more frustrated than her typical cheerful self.
“Darian.” She waited until I faced her again, but her natural impatience made her voice harsh. “How long will you deny what you feel? You aren’t the only one suffering; Lukas isn’t any better. We might have a prolonged lifespan, but i
t doesn’t mean we have all the time in the world.”
We both knew what she meant, and that I wouldn’t act on it. But Mimi was never maudlin. Her comments must have a purpose.
“What’s wrong?”
She clammed up, and I assumed she’d Seen something. She rarely meddled, unless not doing so would cause greater harm than letting things continue as her Visions foretold. Lukas never told me the reason for her reticence. Rumors suggested her interference had led to the death of her husband.
“He needs you, Darian. They both do.” Her plaintive words tore at my heart.
“I’ll always be there for him. He’s my best friend. And now he’s found his mate, I’ll protect them both.”
“She’s more than his mate. Look closer.”
She guided me to the bed and forced me to observe. In sleep, Ryleigh’s hair puffed around her face in a tangled mass, and her mascara ran a little under one eye. She looked adorable.
I studied her aura, drawing the swirled tones to the forefront of my awareness. The colors were a constant presence, but until I focused, they faded into the background like motes of dust in a sunbeam. The patterns were calmer now; the unhealthy red slashes had dulled into dappled spots.
As she dreamed, the whorls cycled. Whereas I examined complex emotions in the spectrum, Lukas saw a person’s dreams, fantasies, and fears. When my thoughts drifted to him, so did my gaze.
What I witnessed confused me.
Ryleigh’s tone had the distinct brown-orange halo each human possessed, tinted by compassionate blues and jarring clumps of scarlet. Lukas’ bathed him in light indigo, like all hybrids. Where their auras overlapped, the sequences danced with a kaleidoscope affect.
Together, their auras encompassed every emotion, every hope, and every fear in every aspect of their selves. As I watched, a stream of ruby slipped from her aura into his. It decreased before rejoining hers again.
Beyond The Veil: A Paranormal & Magical Romance Boxed Set Page 128
